Allergologia et Immunopathologia was founded in 1973 by A. Oehling and was immediately indexed in Medline. For the last 35years it has been published regularly and has gone through different ups and downs. As the official journal of the Spanish Society of Paediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology (SEICAP) it has had a great push, especially during the past two years, when the society decided to publish all articles in English. Since then, visits to the journal's web site have doubled and many articles have been quoted by other journals, for example, reports on sublingual immunotherapy1–4 which, sent by several international groups, have helped to validate this route5.
Just when Dr. Muñoz-López, former editor-in-chief, was about to step down, news arrived that it was going to be surveyed by Thompson-ISI in order to give it an impact factor by mid 2010. This is undoubtedly a very important step forward which will allow Allergologia et Immunopathologia to be targeted by important research groups in the field of asthma, allergy and immunology in order to publish their findings. It is a very important achievement of the former editor-in-chief who has been working very hard in this direction.
To face this new stage, which is a very challenging one, various important scientists working in the field in which the journal's scope is focused on have been invited to become associate editors of the journal. They are based in different parts of the world and will be able to help Allergologia et Immunopathologia to meet its needs for the future: attracting high quality papers and advise authors on how to improve their originals. We would like to especially thank Dr. Robert Dinwiddie, consultant paediatric respirologist to the Great Ormond st. London Hospital for Sick Children (UK); Prof. Javier Mallol, from the Department of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, Hospital CRS El Pino, University of Santiago (Chile); Dr. Diego Peroni, from the Paediatric Allergy Clinic of the University of Verona (Italy); Prof. Dirceu Solé, from the Allergy Unit of the Department of Paaediatrics, Federal University of Sao Paulo (Brazil); and Dr. José A. Castro-Rodríguez from the School of Medicine of the Catholic University of Santiago (Chile) for agreeing to dedicate part of their tight schedules to Allergologia et Immunopathologia.
But having the best editorial team will not be of much use if not enough high quality original articles reach them. Two years ago SEICAP wisely decided that it would sponsor all English translations of articles written by its members. Thus, it is a wonderful opportunity to spread any important finding that may arise in the numerous studies that are being carried out among research groups to which the members belong.
Apart from the "Original articles" section, already mentioned, some new sections will appear soon. "Research letters" will include case reports and short research reports. "Point of view" will collect personal opinions and views from international well-known authors on hot topics related to any aspect of epidemiology, genetics, pathophysiology or treatment of asthma, allergy or immunology. It is also intended that Allergologia et Immunopathologia has a section entitled “Series” where practical information will be offered to the reader in order to facilitate his/her clinical practice and/or research. The "Review" section will remain the same, and although the editorial board will request articles from authors with a deep knowledge of the particular topic which may be considered interesting to the reader, voluntary contributions are welcomed provided they meet the journal's standards.
All these changes are perfectly explained in the new "Instructions for Authors" which can be found in the journal's website and these should be double checked carefully before submitting any manuscript.
To facilitate manuscript submission, a new online system will begin in the near future. Once this system is implemented, authors will be able to submit their papers through the journal's web site and will also be able to track their status. Authors will receive the acknowledgement of receipt of their paper, the reviewers' opinions or the decision of the Editorial Board about acceptance or rejection. This method would substantially increase the number of received manuscripts. The more manuscripts Allergologia et Immunopathologia receives, the better: this will allow the Editorial Board to choose the ones with the highest quality; and this, in turn, will help to increase its impact factor, which, in turn, will ultimately attract even higher quality papers.
It has been possible to write the present words because the former editor-in-chief, Dr. Muñoz-López put Allergologia et Immunopathologia in a situation which made it possible for it to take the current step forward. This is something that SEICAP members and the new editor-in-chief will always be grateful for. Furthermore, punctual and always refreshing editorials by Dr. Muñoz-López in every issue of Allergologia et Immunopathologia for the last 10years will be deeply missed. However, it is hoped that the journal receives his contributions to its sections, including the editorial one, from time to time.
Apart from being the SEICAP official journal, Allergologia et Immunopathologia aims to be an international journal which -in the not so distant future–could compete with the best journals in the field. Let's then take the first step forward along the new challenging road to international recognition!
